Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (PES 2012), also known as Winning Eleven 2012, is the sequel to PES 2011 that is developed and published by Konami.

The game was announced on 13 May 2011, along with the first trailer (found here), and is set to be released on the PC, PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. The release has been set for 27 September for North and South America, and 14 October for the UK.

Prior to the E3 video game conference, a trailer showing early footage of the gameplay (found here) was released to the public on 2 June 2011. Seabass talks through some of the new features while showing off some of the new graphics, movement and animations in this video (at the 10:38 minute mark).

The demo was announced at gamescom and the first is set to be released on the 24 August. There will be two demos that will be released:

The first demo will be released on August 24th and will be based on a preview build of the game. While there will be areas that are refined, KONAMI wants PES users to try out the game’s many new Teammate Control elements prior to launch and experience the realism that Active AI brings to PES 2012, and which have been singled out for extensive praise by the media. The demo will also showcase the individuality of the many teams in the game, and users will be able to pick from six teams and their playing styles – Manchester United, AC Milan, FC Porto, Napoli, Santos FC, and Penarol – and pit them against each other in 10-minute matches. The demo will also showcase key Challenge Training elements, where fans can practice the new control systems to fully enjoy the game. [1]

The AI engine has undergone a major overhaul, with attacking emphasised as the cornerstone of play affording a more open approach to play.

AI players, your team mates, will now make intelligent dummy runs off-the-ball to open up the defence, move into space, all reacting to your moves – the whole team now reacts far more dynamically to the actions of the player, moving strategically during passing.

Defence has had some changes too, however, with zonal marking and positional defending both enhanced. The Active AI system ensures that players track attackers more effectively, but without compromising the shape of the team, while one-on-one situations offer greater control as defenders press and jostle to win the ball, as attackers can use upper body feints and movements to bypass and wrong-foot their man.

A new player switching system allows users to change to any player on the field using the right analogue stick. On Free Kicks, players will have far more control with lots more scope for pulling defenders out of position.

The jostling system introduced in the last game has also been extended, making for a far more physical experience. It offers proper bodily contact and physical reactions.

Graphics have been improved, (see Gallery) with new animations, visual enhancements and control elements. Player facial expression are more detailed while lighting effects are more natural. New cameras show off the huge variety of pitch-side movement, with more detail on and around the game than ever before. Such is the level of graphical finesses that you can see players sweating, their neck muscles tensing as they call for the ball and bark orders to each other, and the muscles in their mouths and around their eyes contract to show the emotions the players are experiencing.

Referees are also crucial to general game flow and their AI has been greatly enhanced to ensure fewer interruptions to play. Decisions are improved, and advantage is played much more regularly in offside and free kick scenarios. As such, refs will only intervene when truly necessary, but they will show cards if necessary once play has broken down. [3]

Pass Support allows users to determine the level of AI assistance when passing the ball. Players can opt for one of five settings from full support, right up to full veteran setting which switches off all assistance so that the direction, weight and speed of every pass is at their disposal. [4]

Teammate Control gives users complete control over secondary players while the runner has the ball – represent an astonishing advance for the series. The Teammate Control system works in two ways, with users pressing the right analogue stick in the direction of the player they wish to control. The Assisted mode allows the user to activate a second player by depressing the R3 button, and allows users to get to grips with the greater level of control via effective running movements. Greater control is offered by the Manual mode, wherein the user has complete freedom of movement of the second player, and can make shuttle runs, find space, and shake off markers before calling for the pass from the player still with the ball. The player will then revert to computer control when the R3 button is released, and can also be used to override any AI runs the player wants to cancel. Both can be affected at any time, so players can make moves without waiting for a pass to be completed. [5]

Challenge Mode makes a return to the game. It gives the player a series of tough tests which they can use to hone various skills. The mode allows users to work hard on their attacking and defending skills to improve their main game. Similarly, there are dribbling tests and set-piece challenges that necessitate hitting a series of targets, and punishing shooting tasks are used to push the player as they put in the hours that will make all the difference on field. [6]

Superstar Difficulty is a new difficulty for experienced gamers, a step higher than top-player.

Club Boss is a new game mode that offers the player a chance to become the chairman of your chosen club.